Moving On
by WolfintheSheep
Summary: AU. A girl whose life is standing still, a girl who can never stand still long enough to find her own life, and a single meeting to set their lives into motion. Hayate/Reinforce
1. Prologue

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine, stop worrying so much," I responded mechanically. It was the same question every morning, and my answer was always the same regardless of how fine I really was. I know how sincere she was, and that every time she asked it was out of genuine concern, but my appreciation could only go so far; after all, the one thing I hated most was being treated like I was made out of glass. While I was mentally grumbling to myself I think I might have let my irritation slip through a little, because she suddenly had a look of concern on her face. She was probably thinking that she'd said something wrong, and so I forced a smile to let her know everything was alright. She seemed to accept it, as she gave me a slight nod and finally stepped out of the car. I sat waiting for her to circle around, not bothering to watch when she opened the back door and pulled out the contents. I had my door open when she made it to my side, and was already pushing myself up and out of the seat, trying to get out on my own. She wouldn't have any of that, though, and stepped forward to lift me herself. With a light sigh I let myself be coddled, and was gently lowered into the wheelchair.

"Have a nice day, Hayate."

"Thanks Signum, you too."

"I'll come pick you up later."

"Mhmm, see you later."

She looked me over once more before finally turning away, circling around the van again to get back in the driver's seat. I sat where I was, waving as the car slowly pulled away from the curb, before wheeling myself around towards the school entrance. I loved Signum, I really did, but sometimes she tried to act too much like my protector, doing her best to shield me from the world. I was already in middle school, and I was getting tired of being babied all the time. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, after all.

The school courtyard was almost empty by now, most students having gone to their classrooms since the bell was about to ring in a few minutes. I always preferred it like this, arriving late enough so I didn't have to go through a crowd to get to my homeroom. Of course, sometimes that meant cutting things a little too close, and once or twice I'd actually been late. Still, it was worth it, even if it was only for selfish reasons. As I made my way across the courtyard, I started humming lightly, becoming a little more cheerful the closer I got to the school. Passing through the entryway, I headed over to the lockers, stopping at mine to get some textbooks for today's lessons. Apparently I had crammed it a little too tightly the day before, because the moment I opened it several books came falling out. Annoyed with myself, I reached down to pick them up, but stopped short as someone else stooped to gather them up before me.

"Hey, I can -" I started, but trailed off when I was suddenly met by a pair of deep, red eyes. It was a girl, someone that I didn't recognize, and for some reason all I could do was stare. Her face was beautiful, her features so striking and soft, but there was something more to her, a depth that went beyond appearances. If I had to compare her to something, it would be snow; gentle yet cold to the touch, and so hauntingly beautiful to watch. Even as she was looking at me she seemed detached, as if her eyes weren't really seeing me. As I was staring at her, almost mesmerized, she roughly shoved the books towards me. I was caught so off guard by her callous behaviour that I didn't react immediately, so she instead dropped them into my lap and stood abrubtly.

"T-thank you," I managed to stammer out, but she'd already turned away, walking off down the hallway, her long pale hair flowing freely behind her. I continued to watch, motionless as I tried to fathom the strange girl. Unfortunately, time decided not to grant me any such luxuries as I heard the clamouring of the bell, signaling that I was already late. Berating myself for getting distracted I wheeled myself quickly down the hallways, rushing to homeroom. When I finally got there only a few minutes had passed and I could still hear the clatter of chairs from within. With an impulsive decision I tried my best to slip in unnoticed, but of course the teacher spotted me right away. I suppose I'm a fairly obvious person.

"You're late, Yagami-san. Hurry and take your seat, if you please."

A faint laughter trickled through the classroom as my classmates all turned to look at me, and I blushed slightly from becoming the center of unwanted attention. It was surprising, though, that my teacher had only said that much, considering that the last few times I was late I had to wait outside for several minutes, after which I'd received a personal lecture. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I moved towards my desk, which was at the back, next to the windows – my personal favourite spot, by the way, which I'd been lucky enough to draw in the last seating arrangement. The homeroom teacher didn't bother waiting for me as he started to speak, which worked out fine for me since I wasn't paying much attention anyway. For some reason that girl I'd met only moments ago kept popping up in my head, and the curiosity was killing me. I'd never seen her before, though that could be said about a lot of people in this school. However, she looked about the same age as me, and somehow it seemed like she would stand out from the crowd, even from a distance – probably the light hair. Either way, I was determined to find out who she was and had already started planning out my lunch break to track her down.

"- so I hope you make our newest transfer student feel as welcome as possible."

At that very moment the door to the front of the class slid open, and the very girl that had been haunting my mind walked through it. I swear if I could have I would've jumped to my feet from the shock. As it was, I'm pretty sure that my eyes were bulging and my mouth hanging wide open. She kept walking, coldly ignoring the attentive eyes of every student in the room until she reached the center. With a slow, graceful turn she faced towards everyone and bowed stiffly.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Reinforce Ein."

**Moving On**


	2. First Impressions

Reinforce did her best to focus on the back of the room, trying to ignore the intense stares of her new classmates. She'd been standing there for at least a minute, and by now she was starting to wonder if there was a problem. The only thing she'd been told to do was greet the class and introduce herself, which she'd done easily enough, but the expectant atmosphere of the room implied that saying just her name wasn't quite what was intended. Right on cue a small cough came from behind her as the home room teacher tried to break the silence.

"Well, would you like to say anything else?" he asked, trying to coax the girl into talking a little about herself.

"Um, yes," Reinforce replied, turning her head so she could face the teacher, "Where's my seat?"

**Moving On  
**Chapter 1 - First Impressions

Hayate tried her best to stifle her giggles, but failed miserably. Fortunately she wasn't alone, as half the class was laughing right along with her. Well, the point of introductions was to make a good first impression, and Reinforce had certainly managed to do that. When the teacher recovered from his surprise he pointed out the empty desk in the third row, and the transfer student moved to take her seat.

'_Drat, not next to me. Stupid mangas never get it right,' _Hayate whined to herself, sadly watching the girl from halfway across the room, feeling a little jealous as she saw seating neighbours introduce themselves to the new student. Through some odd twist of fate the very person that had piqued her curiosity was standing only a few meters away, and yet there was no way that Hayate could even approach the girl until classes had finished. Sighing at life's cruel pranks, she decided to make the best of what she had.

Now that Hayate had overcome the initial shock, both from the encounter at the locker and the sudden appearance now, she took her time to observe Reinforce closer. The girl definitely had a foreign feel to her, and it wasn't just the silver hair or deep red eyes. She was tall for one, several inches taller than any of the students in the room, and she looked a little more mature than an average fourteen year old girl, especially considering how well developed –

Blushing when she realized where she'd been staring, Hayate quickly averted her eyes, looking back to the front of the room where the teacher was talking. Doing her best to keep her mind diverted from unwanted thoughts, she tried to focus on the teacher's words, ignoring the nagging feeling that was trying to pull her eyes to the side again.

Only when homeroom ended ten minutes later, and the teacher had left the room, did Hayate risk another glance at the transfer student. There was still some time before the next class began, but she didn't move from her seat, expecting the new girl's desk to be surrounded in a few moments. Just as she'd thought, within seconds classmates were crowded around Reinforce, each filled with questions and curiosity.

"Ein, that's German isn't it? Are you from Germany?"

"Your Japanese is amazing, who taught you?"

"Is that your natural hair colour?"

Hayate smiled from her corner, both in amusement at her classmates' predictability and at her self, knowing that she wanted to be right in there as well. Reduced to simply watching yet again, she tried to pick up on everything that was said, hoping to get some of her own questions answered. Reinforce wasn't cooperating very much, though, as she responded briefly and succinctly, doing her best to side-step the questions. The crowd wasn't deterred in the slightest, prying even further the more their curiosity was pushed aside, but the silver-haired girl seemed to take the verbal bombardment in full stride, not the slightest bit unnerved by all the people surrounding her. It was that same icy and distant atmosphere that Hayate had felt before, like the girl was trying to avoid any real contact.

* * *

Reinforce let out a deep breath as she tried to relax. It was lunch break, the first chance she had to get some time alone to herself. The moment the class was dismissed she'd rushed out from the room as quickly as she could without being overly suspicious, making her way to the very back of the school field where she'd spotted a row of large trees earlier. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable of places, the grass was poorly kept and was a little prickly, but she couldn't complain too much considering that it was nice and secluded. After all, that was why she'd run off in the first place, to avoid all the prying and probing from classmates filled with curiosity. Stretched out on her back, staring up at swaying branches and rustling leaves, she almost wanted to fall asleep and let the rest of the day pass by. She'd expected it all, of course, knowing perfectly well that she couldn't just walk into a classroom in the middle of a semester without having everyone's attention. It was exactly the same, every single time…

"Finally found you!"

Groaning when she heard the irritatingly cheerful voice, Reinforce sat up, turning to see who had intruded on her peace. She was surprised, though, when she saw a slight, brunette girl coming towards in a wheelchair.

"Should you be over here?" she inquired, wondering how far the girl had pushed herself just to search her out. From the sounds of the girl's heavy breathing and reddened face, it looked like she'd been around the entire building.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl answered, her cheeks puffing out in indignation. Reinforce took a moment to think over what she'd said, and suddenly panicked, realizing how tactless the question had been.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean – I was just surprised to see that you were – I mean, I haven't spoken to anyone who's – um," she trailed off, realizing that her attempts at apologizing weren't very successful. Thinking that she'd only managed to insult the girl even more, Reinforce dropped her gaze ashamedly.

For her part, Hayate was biting her tongue to stop herself from smiling. The angry retort had been reflexive and not genuine, and she had immediately regretted it the moment the words had left her mouth. She had intended to apologize immediately, but when her new classmate had suddenly become so flustered she couldn't help but try and see how far this could go. It was convenient too, since she'd spent the last few hours trying to figure out how to get the girl to talk to her. Now that she'd had an opportunity handed right to her she was going to make the most of it.

"Oh? What are you trying to say, exactly?" Hayate said, barely keeping the teasing tone out of her voice.

"Well, it's just," Reinforce started, and made a telling glance at the wheelchair. Not entirely sure how to continue, she tried avoiding the subject altogether. "You just surprised me."

"Hmm? Is that it?" Hayate pressed, leaning forward a little. To her glee the girl blushed ever so slightly and averted her eyes.

"Y-yes."

"Oh really? And here I was, searching through the entire school just to thank you properly for helping me out this morning," she said, putting on an air of innocence.

"This morning?" the silver-haired girl asked wonderingly, as she tried to remember where the two had met earlier. Her face was telling as the memory dawned on her. "At the lockers?"

"Tsk, and you didn't even remember me. I don't think you even deserve my thanks any more," Hayate huffed, turning around immediately so she could start wheeling herself back toward the school building. Behind her Reinforce stammered out several apologies, not realizing that the brunette was silently laughing to herself with a wide grin on her face.

To tell the truth, Hayate was a little surprised at the transfer student's reactions. Considering how the girl had brushed off all of the inquiring classmates, and the way she had avoided any real contact with other people all morning, Hayate had expected her to be far more closed and dismissive. To find that she wasn't was a delightful surprise, to say the least, but all it really did was make the brunette even more curious. Even though she seemed like such a kind-hearted person, the girl seemed so unwilling to connect with anyone around her. Just what was it that made her push people away?

* * *

Classes had ended for the day, and Hayate was slowly gathering up her things, stacking them neatly in her book bag as she watched classmates leave the room. Like in the mornings, she preferred to wait until the hallways were much less crowded, and as a result always ended up being the last one to leave the room. When she finally pulled away from her desk, though, she was caught by surprise when she felt a gentle weight press down on her wheelchair. Glancing up over her shoulder, Hayate saw a new but increasingly familiar face peering down at her.

"Do you mind if I - ?" Reinforce asked, motioning slightly as she gripped the handles at the back of the chair, and Hayate nodded her consent quickly. Starting at a slow and cautious pace, the two left the room and headed towards the entrance, Reinforce guiding the wheelchair with steady hands. Normally Hayate refused to let anyone push her - though Signum frequently ignored those complaints - but she decided to make an exception this time. After her mean little trick at lunch it was the least she could do to be accommodating. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to drive the girl away or anything.

"So," Reinforce started, but paused immediately. "Um…I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"It's Yagami. Yagami Hayate."

"Right…um, Hayate then," the girl began again. Hayate was a little surprised that her given name was used, but quickly remembered that the girl was foreign. She waited for Reinforce to continue, guessing at what she would say.

"About what I said at lunch, I want to apologize. I was just surprised when I saw you, and I spoke without thinking," Reinforce said. Now that she'd had time to think and recover from the awkwardness, the girl had once again reverted to her serious demeanour. It made Hayate a little disappointed, but actually getting the transfer student to approach her was definitely a step in the right direction. Of course, the brunette wasn't one to settle for baby steps.

"I suppose I can forgive you this time," Hayate said melodramatically. They had reached the lockers already, the area predictably empty considering the time. With a quick tug, the wheelchair was pulled out from Reinforce's light grip, and Hayate wheeled herself straight towards the exit. Just as she was leaving, she looked back over her shoulder with a sly smile on her face.

"After all, I got to see Ein-san's cute side."

Laughing freely when she saw the poor girl's widened eyes and steadily rising blush, Hayate turned back and hurried off to meet Signum, who was already standing and waiting at the school gate.

When they arrived home, Hayate cheerfully entered first, calling out loudly as she wheeled through the doorway. "I'm back!"

A loud bark was the first response she received as the large blue dog sitting next to the doorway rose to its feet, quickly walking over to the girl to lick at her cheek.

"Hello Zafira, I'm happy to see you too," Hayate said, ruffling the big dog's fur as she gave him a hug.

"Hayate!" came a small voice, and a short red-haired girl came running from the living room, jumping up so she could wrap her arms tightly around the brunette.

"Vita, you're already home?" Hayate said, returning the embrace tightly.

"Welcome back," another voice said, and a short-haired blonde woman stepped into the hallway, smiling warmly. "How was your day?"

"My day? It was great."

* * *

"I'm home!" Reinforce called as she opened the door to the apartment. When there was no reply, she sighed and entered, locking the door tightly behind her. Slipping her shoes off, she padded lightly down the small hallway towards the kitchen. As she flicked the light switch on the room suddenly filled with a dim glow, and her eyes mechanically moved down to the kitchen table where she saw a small handwritten note, as expected. She didn't need to read it to know what it said, but did so anyway out of habit.

"We're going to be working late, don't wait on us for dinner. Love Mom and Dad," Reinforce read aloud. Tossing the note into the garbage, the girl walked over to the freezer, feeling too lazy to take the time to cook. Pulling out a small instant dinner, she slipped it into the microwave, setting the time. While she waited, bored as she watched the glowing numbers count down, she felt a soft brushing up against her ankles, and she glanced down at a reddish ball of fur that was rubbing against her legs.

"Hello Agito," she said, smiling as she picked up the small kitten. It mewed at her, waving its paws at her face as it tried to bat her nose. "So how was your day?"

The cat cocked its head to the side, like it almost understood the question. After a few moments it mewed again, waving its paw in the air.

"Mine?" Reinforce asked, "It was nice…I met someone interesting."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh look, I'm writing another fic for underused characters :\. I've honestly got nothing against NanoFate, but all my better ideas never seem to include them. Oh well, nothing wrong with Hayate getting some love, and I think Reinforce was feeling seriously deprived :p. Like most of my stories I have no idea where this thing is going to go, and any ideas that I do have will probably be thrown out the window, but hopefully the road that gets taken still ends up being enjoyable.


	3. Good Mornings and Goodbyes

The early morning began to peek through the thin curtains, casting sunlight into the bedroom where a small girl slept. As the bright rays drifted slowly over the girl's eyelids, she let out a small whimper and shifted in her sleep, her left hand clinging tighter to the small, worn, stuffed rabbit she was hugging to her chest, as her right searched for a missing source of warmth. With a groan, the girl opened her eyes groggily, letting out a grumpy yawn as she woke. Still half asleep she shuffled herself out of bed and stood, rubbing her eyes with her free hand, still clutching the well-used rabbit closely. Staggering on her feet the girl slowly made her way to the bedroom door and lazily pushed it open before shuffling out into the hallway, unconsciously heading to the kitchen. A light clattering and sound of sizzling made it apparent that someone else was already up, and as the girl walked through the open doorway she spotted a familiar mop of brown hair by the stove.

"Morning, Hayate," the girl mumbled out.

"Morning, Vita!" Hayate answered, much more alert and cheerful, turning her head to look at the youngest member of the family, then chuckled a little at what she saw. The young girl was still dressed in her deep-red pyjamas, which were a little dishevelled and lopsided. Her eyes were only half-open so she looked like she was still sleeping on her feet, and her normally tidy hair, customarily in braided pigtails, was wildly sticking out in various directions.

"Go wash up," Hayate said light-heartedly, "Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Okay," Vita answered, turning around to head to the bathroom, loosely dragging her bunny behind her.

"Wake up Signum-nee-chan too!" the brunette called.

"Yeah," came the grumbly response from the hallway.

Smiling, Hayate turned back to the stove, turning off the elements as she finished cooking.

**Moving On  
**Chapter 2 – Good Mornings and Goodbyes

The blaring alarm clock broke the morning silence, ringing sharply for several seconds before a hand reflexively slapped it off. Growling, the girl's red irises squinted up at the clock, hoping that the stupid machine had made a mistake. The bright liquid crystal display told otherwise, a brightly glowing "7:00" proving that it really was time to get up. Planting her face into a pillow, she let out a loud, muffled groan, thinking it would make her feel better. It didn't. Finally giving in to the inevitable, Reinforce pushed her blankets off and slid out of bed. Shivering slightly at the loss of warmth, she rubbed at her arms while hurriedly hopping across the rough carpet. Opening her bedroom door a crack she stuck her head out into the hallway and looked out.

"Morning!" she called, and then waited a few seconds. When no response came she pulled the door open fully and stepped out, flinching as her feet made contact with the cold, laminated flooring. With no one else home she rushed down the hall to the bathroom, wearing nothing but her underwear. Making a beeline straight to the shower she quickly turned the knobs to the "almost too hot for comfort" level, and then danced back and forth as she waited for the water to warm. When wisps of telltale steam finally began to rise she immediately tossed the little clothing she was wearing to the floor and jumped in, letting out a happy sigh as the hot water made contact with her skin.

Twenty minutes later the silver-haired girl was out, a thick towel wrapped tightly around her as she thoroughly dried her hair.

'_Maybe I should get a haircut soon,"_ she complained to herself. True, it had been a very long time since she'd had anything except her bangs trimmed and she would probably feel awkward without the familiar weight, but having to blow-dry the full length of hair that stretched down to her waist every morning tended to be tedious. It took several more minutes before she was finally satisfied, but she finally switched the dryer off, tossing it back into an untidy drawer beneath the sink.

It was already half-past seven when Reinforce entered her room again, and she headed to the small dresser in the corner to pull out her clothes for the day. Her school uniform was easy enough to find, having been jammed into the top drawer, though it was slightly crumpled and creased. Underwear, on the other hand, proved to be more of a challenge. She found a clean pair of panties quickly, but ended up wasting time trying to find the matching bra, digging through several drawers before discovering it between the folds of a sweater. Dressing hurriedly, she was still pulling on her socks as she hopped out of her room toward the kitchen, where a small, angry fluffball impatiently mewled at her.

"Sorry," Reinforce apologized to Agito, quickly scratching her chin so she'd stop complaining before getting breakfast. Dishing out the cat's food first, she slid the tray in front of the irritated animal.

"Hey, you like this stuff," she said when the cat gave her a disapproving glare, "Don't give me that look…"

Pouring a bowl of cereal out for herself, Reinforce took a seat at the kitchen table. Crunching away at her cold breakfast she glanced back down at Agito, who was still staring back up at her, food untouched.

"You're not getting anything else," she said, putting her foot down. Giving one last annoyed hiss, the cat finally started eating. Satisfied, Reinforce took another scoop out of her bowl and continued to eat in silence.

Only a few minutes until eight, the girl stood up, dumped her bowl and spoon into the sink then grabbed her book bag from the kitchen counter. She crouched down to give Agito a last pet on the head before heading off to school.

"Don't cause any trouble now," she said, which the cat simply ignored, preferring to nuzzle up against her hand instead, softly purring. Smiling, Reinforce stood and walked toward the front door, calling a final farewell over her shoulder.

"See you later."

A loud meow answered back.

"I'm not going to be late, stop worrying so much."

* * *

"Stop moving around Vita, you're making this difficult," Hayate said, laughter in her voice as she tried to braid the young girl's pigtails. The primary school student was fidgeting in her seat, shuffling back and forth as hands were gently playing with her hair.

"But that tickles," Vita mumbled, slightly red-faced from getting scolded.

"Oh? Vita has ticklish hair?" Hayate teased, grinning as she playfully swished the girl's hair back and forth.

"Aye!" the girl yelped, quickly planting her hands on her head to stop the assault, "Ha_yaatee…"_

"Now stay still," the brunette ordered, giggling loudly as she resumed braiding the soft locks. Hayate had plenty of practice doing this every morning, and with Vita finally sitting still it was only a few minutes later when the antsy girl had hopped out of her seat, freshly tied pigtails bouncing as she landed.

"Thanks!" Vita said with a childish glee before running off to get her things for school. Pleased, Hayate wheeled herself around, thinking that she should get herself ready to go as well. Crossing through the hall on the way to her room, she spotted Shamal in the entryway pulling on a light-brown overcoat.

"Leaving already?" Hayate asked.

"I wanted to get to the clinic earlier today," Shamal answered with a smile, "I'm planning to pick up some groceries on my way home. Want anything?"

"Nope," the middle school student answered easily, "Don't be too late."

"I won't. See you later," was the older woman's reply, waving slightly as she opened the front door and left. Hayate waved back, waiting for the door to close tightly before moving again. Opening the door to her room she almost bumped into Vita, who was just exiting. She shared her room with the youngest girl in the family, the red-haired child having troubles sleeping alone – though she fervently denied it. Hayate had tried to break out of the routine once the younger girl had entered primary school, even buying Vita the stuffed bunny that she clung on to so much. In the end the attempt wasn't too successful, and they were still sharing a room and bed. Lately, however, Shamal and Signum had both taken to teasing the redhead about it, and with the youngest girl's sensitive pride it would only be a matter of time before she would demand to get her own room.

"Ready to go?" Hayate asked, seeing the backpack hanging loosely on the girl's shoulder. Giving a quick nod in response, Vita gave the older girl a quick hug goodbye before running off to the front door.

"Be careful on the bus," Hayate called out.

"I know! I'm not a kid," Vita yelled back, firmly denying that she was still young and irresponsible. Signum's voice came out from the living room, a little too quiet for Hayate to hear, but she was probably saying the same thing to the child.

Chuckling to herself, Hayate entered her room, wheeling to her desk where her school things were sitting. Stacking her textbooks neatly, she slid them into her school bag, and did one final check over the room to make sure she had everything. Satisfied, she placed the bag on her lap and turned around, ready to leave as well.

"I'm ready to go," she said as she got closer to the living room.

"Ah, alright," Signum answered, getting up from her seat on the sofa and grabbing the car keys from the coffee table. Zafira, who had been lying at the older woman's feet, stood up as well, noticing that everyone was leaving.

"Keep the house safe, Zafira," Hayate said, saying goodbye to the loyal animal. He didn't answer, but probably understood. Signum quietly slipped on her shoes then opened the front door, letting the young girl out first before stepping through herself, locking the house tightly behind her.

* * *

Reinforce's second morning at school had been much less intrusive than the first, thankfully. There were still the persistent classmates determined to pry into her life, along with the club members trying to convince her to sign up – though the latter had at least provided entertainment – but for the most part everyone had settled for a pleasant greeting and idle chitchat. In another few days the novelty of her arrival would have been gone, and she wouldn't have to be so apprehensive about walking into the classroom every morning. Of course, there was one thing that had been bothering her since morning: the lack of any acknowledgment from one particularly pushy classmate.

Glancing over her shoulder to the back corner of the room she spotted the short-haired brunette sitting in her wheelchair, intently focused on her textbook. The girl had arrived later than everyone else, barely in time for homeroom. Since then she'd made no attempt to speak to the transfer student. It wasn't like Reinforce _wanted_ to talk to her or anything. It was just that she'd been expecting the girl to be a little more forward, given her actions the previous day.

"Read the next line please, Ein-san," the teacher's voice suddenly called out, and the platinum-haired girl started slightly, having been caught not paying attention. She quickly rose to her feet, grabbing her textbook as she skimmed to find the line they were on. Clearing her voice, she started to read the page as smoothly as she could.

"_Seems advanced fo__r eighth grade English,"_ Reinforce thought to herself as she finished, her eyes lifting off the page to look back up at the teacher. It was only when she noticed that everyone in the room was staring and that the teacher was watching her with apparent surprise did she remember that they were currently reading Japanese literature. Glancing down at her book, she mentally slapped herself when she noted that the text was indeed written in Japanese – and that she'd just spoken several lines of it in clear, unaccented English.

"Um…oops?" she said, laughing awkwardly as she slowly took her seat again, feeling like she wanted to bury herself ten feet underground.

"_So much for trying to blend__ in and avoid attention,"_ she berated herself, doing her best to avoid eye contact with anyone else for the next several hours.

The next few classes were graciously uneventful, and when lunch break finally arrived she zipped out of the room in an instant, pre-empting all of the curious questions she was sure to be bombarded with, heading for the rooftop. Climbing the long flight of stairs and opening the heavy door, she was relieved to see the wide open area was miraculously vacant. Letting out a long and heavy sigh that she'd been holding in for the last hour she found herself a decent place to sit and pulled out her lunch. Grimacing a little at the hastily made tuna sandwich that she'd put together the night before, she took a quick bite and leaned back, staring up at the sky.

This should've been easy now, coming to a new school. It was routine to her, second nature almost. It was only supposed to take a few days for her to settle in and become just another student in the crowd. It was her own fault though, for getting distracted. After all, one slip-up was all it took to become the center of attention again – especially unwanted attention. Though, it wasn't normal for her to get distracted so easily either…

On a whim she stood up, walking over to the fenced-off edge of the rooftop, casually eyeing the school grounds below her. Somehow or other her gaze managed to drift to the small grove of trees that she'd hidden herself under the day before, and she wasn't too surprised when she spotted a familiar girl idle beneath the shade.

"_Is she waiting for me? I shouldn't care either way," _she mulled, stepping back to start walking away. Pausing in her stride, though, she turned about and took another quick glance down to the school yard, feeling vaguely guilty for reasons she couldn't explain.

"_This is stupid…"_ she thought, irritated with herself as she stalked off.

* * *

Chewing thoughtfully, Hayate sat back in her chair as she ate. She didn't go outside often to eat her lunch, usually preferring to stay in the classroom or occasionally visit the library. It wasn't really a bad thing, and the fresh air and sun was certainly pleasant. It was peaceful too, which was why she imagined a certain someone kept running off to such places the moment she had the chance. And speaking of that certain someone…

"Hayate, wasn't it?" an all-too serious voice questioned from behind her.

"Yup," she chirped, glad that her name had been remembered.

"What would you have done if I didn't show up?"

"You make it sound like I was waiting for you," Hayate said jovially, not bothering to look at the other girl, "I just figured this would be a nice place to sit and enjoy my lunch."

Reinforce let out an exasperated sigh, not bothering to argue the point, and the rustling of leaves and grass told Hayate that the girl had taken a seat. Neither of the students said anything for awhile, one polishing off the rest of her bento while the other was content to remain silent for the rest of the break.

"You definitely know how to make an impression," the brunette said suddenly, in between mouthfuls, "You even left Yuzumi-sensei speechless."

"Don't remind me," Reinforce groaned out, "That was an accident."

"Oh?" Hayate said, humouring the transfer student, "Your English sounded perfect from what I understood."

"That's not what I meant," the silver-haired girl grumbled out, "I'm just…not used to being in Japan yet…"

"So where did you live before?" Hayate eagerly pried, dropping pretences as she let her curiosity get the best of her. Reinforce didn't answer, rolling to her side so her back was turned to the brunette.

"Aw, come on," the girl whined, disappointed that she was being pushed away, "It couldn't hurt to tell me, could it?"

Still facing away, the platinum-haired girl didn't acknowledge the question. A little upset, Hayate was about to move toward the girl when she heard an answer murmured out quietly.

"America."

"So you're American, then?"

"Something like that," Reinforce said vaguely, still seeming reluctant to answer anything specific. Hayate didn't say anything in response, choosing to ponder the answers a little as she finished the last of her lunch.

"You must be pretty good with English and Japanese," she finally said, "If you can translate without realizing it."

"I suppose."

Taking note of the girl's suddenly colder attitude, Hayate decided not to bother her with any more questions and slowly wheeled back toward the school. Reinforce glanced up slightly when she noticed her leaving, but didn't say anything.

* * *

When classes were finally finished that afternoon Reinforce tried to hang back a little, making up excuses about why she was staying later. Her classmates looked a little disappointed, wanting to talk to her after school – precisely the reason why she had decided to wait. It wasn't until everyone had left the room and several minutes had passed that the girl finally picked up her school bag and started to leave, only to be surprised when she found someone else still in the room.

"I hope you're not following me," she said accusingly, though her voice didn't hold any hostility. If anything she sounded amused.

"I don't like moving through crowds," Hayate answered honestly, "So I always wait for everyone else to leave first."

"I'll keep that in mind," Reinforce said, wondering how the girl in front of her managed to force so many private encounters in such a short time. She wasn't terrible company though, so it could have been much worse. "Well…I guess we should go."

The brunette nodded happily, leaving the room first, leaving the new student to fall into step beside her. They didn't say much as they headed towards the entrance, and remained silent as they grabbed the rest of their things from their lockers. As they left the building, Reinforce noticed a tall woman standing at the school gate, eyes drawn to the long, pink hair tied up in a ponytail. The woman waved as she spotted the girls, and out of the corner of her eye Reinforce saw Hayate wave back.

"Your mother?" she asked in spite of herself. Hayate suddenly burst out laughing, stopping in the middle of the pathway as she had to hold her sides.

"I guess not," Reinforce said, not quite sure what was so funny.

"That's Signum. She's more like an older sister," Hayate managed to say after a bit, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "I don't think I could ever see her being a mother. Do you want to meet her? She's a little scary at first, but she's really not that bad."

"No thanks," Reinforce answered, feeling uneasy. She shouldn't have asked such a personal question; it was just inviting more trouble later. She wasn't even sure why she was talking to this girl so much either, and the fact that it seemed so easy was really bothering her. She was well aware of what she had to do, and never had any troubles avoiding people before. This time wasn't any different, but she would have to make herself perfectly clear.

"Look, from now on…don't try getting so close to me."

Hayate looked a little surprised and dejected at the sudden request, and Reinforce was forced to push aside her sudden twinges of guilt.

"Why? Is Ein-san dangerous?" the girl teased, but there was definitely some hurt in her voice.

"Something like that," was the only answer, and Reinforce walked away, not once looking back at the girl in the wheelchair.

* * *

**A/N**: This certainly took me a while to get out. Hopefully the next chapter will be finished sooner than a month, but I can't say I can promise anything. Also, I finally managed to break my personal barrier of 3000 words :D. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that cares about that though...


	4. Interlude

The television screen flickered at a slow, steady pace, the flashing images of the shows barely remaining long enough to get a brief glimpse at the content. Watching from the sofa, sprawled across it lazily, Reinforce stared at the TV with a bored expression on her face, wondering why midday broadcasts always had to be so lame. Of course, it could've been her lamenting the lack of Hollywood style eye-candy – American television really had spoiled her, in that regard.

"Well, this is a great weekend, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically. Noting the lack of response, she pulled her head up slightly to look at the carpet in front of her, and noticed that her temperamental cat had already gotten fed up and left.

"Traitor," she accused, and flopped back down on the sofa.

It was just past one on a quiet Sunday, and the teenager found herself trying to stay occupied as she, once again, babysat the apartment alone. Her parents had both left just after lunch, having some sort of conference to go to. She couldn't remember what it was about, since she'd only been half-listening at the time, and to be perfectly honest she was interested enough to have bothered to find out. Whatever the case, she'd basically been left to her own devices for the next several hours. All her homework had been finished the previous day, and she didn't know the city well enough to want to go anywhere, so she'd naturally plopped down on the couch to veg out.

Still, there was only so much boredom that Reinforce could take, and after flipping through a few more channels she finally pushed the power button on the remote, and watched the screen fade to black. Lifting herself up to a sitting position, she yawned softly, a hand raising to cover her mouth, while the other patted the back of her head haphazardly, trying to smooth her hair back down.

"_Maybe I'll just read,"_ she thought, standing up and turning to the far corner of the room, where a small pile of cardboard boxes lay stacked. It had only been just over a week since her family had moved into the apartment, and thus they hadn't finished unpacking everything yet. Most of their necessities, like clothes and cooking utensils, had already been emptied out, but the majority of odds and ends remained packed until someone wanted to get at them. Luckily her family was very organized when it came to packing their belongings, so searching through them was a lot less tedious than it could have been.

Finding the right container, she pulled it open, and started sifting through the contents. There were a fair number of encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and other such texts, but she was sure there were a couple of novels she hadn't read through yet. Digging through the box, she started to pull out several books, trying to searcher deeper down, but stopped when her fingers closed on an old photo album.

"_Couldn't hurt to look,"_ she mused, a little curious. It was fun sometimes, just going back and looking at the old memories. Dropping to the floor, she sat down and propped the album up against her knees, opening to the first page. She smiled gleefully at the first few pictures, seeing her dad in a trim, black suit and her mom in a pure-white gown. They had gotten married before she'd be born, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the photos anyway. She flipped through page after page, occasionally pausing when a particular image caught her eye. It was a fairly normal photo album, with pictures of friends and family with bright smiling faces, and Reinforce got an occasional laugh when saw a familiar face that looked many years younger. When she came across a picture of her mother with a small baby bump, she immediately became attentive and jumped past several pages at once, and then burst into giggles when she saw the tiny, newborn child that was herself. Skipping a few more pages, she watched herself growing up through the still images, sometimes on her own, sometimes with her parents, and mostly smiling that blissful smile only a child could wear.

On a whim, she turned to the back of the album, looking at the last page. One of the last pictures was a group shot, and Reinforce spotted herself amongst a crowd of toddlers, smiling brightly at the camera. How young was she then? She was probably in Kindergarten, but maybe preschool. She tried to remember as she studied the face of the other children in the picture, but only had a vague sense of nostalgia. As she scanned the photo, she noticed another girl who had an arm wrapped around her own. Had they been friends? She couldn't even remember a name. Briefly, she wondered how long that friendship had lasted, before it had become just another photo.

Shutting the book tight, the silver-haired girl stood up and tossed it back into the box, feeling much more morose than when she'd first started looking through the past. Deciding that she needed some fresh air, she started to walk away, leaving the slight mess of unpacked books behind her.

"I'm going out for a bit!" she called out to her cat, not entirely sure if the pet had heard her. As she reached the entryway, though, Agito was already sitting in front of the door, looking up expectantly.

"You could've just asked if you wanted to go outside," Reinforce said sternly as she slipped on her shoes and pulled a jacket on, and then opened the front door. The cat swiftly slinked out of the apartment, the girl following closely behind.

**Moving On**

Chapter 3 – Interlude

Wheeling herself casually down the sidewalk, Hayate enjoyed the sunny, yet chilly, Sunday afternoon. Walking beside her at a brisk pace, her pink-haired guardian wore a much more stoic expression on her face. Sundays were relaxed at the Yagami residence, with the entire family usually home. Without much else to do, the middle schooler had decided to make a trip to library to find a few books she had wanted to read, and predictably the eldest member of the family had chosen to accompany her.

"Hey, Signum?"

"What is it?"

"What do I do when someone's avoiding me?"

The older woman suddenly looked concerned, her eyebrows arching in confusion. "I'm sorry Hayate, I didn't intend to ignore you -"

The girl couldn't help herself, and burst into giggles. When she actually thought about it, Signum probably wasn't the best person to discuss personal problems with; she tended to be a little too serious and prone to misunderstandings when it came to emotional issues. "No, no, it's nothing like that."

"Ah. Well, I can offer my advice if I'm able."

"No, it's fine. It was just an idle question," Hayate answered. It was true too, because the query had mostly been intended for herself. It had been several days since she had spoken with the transfer student, ever since the girl had made her feelings clear. The brunette had tried a few times to start up a conversation again, whether it was during or after school, but for the most part she had been brushed aside with only a single word of acknowledgment. After those failed attempts, she had stopped trying – although she had no intention of backing down so easily.

To be honest, Hayate wasn't sure why she was so intent on talking with the new girl, or why she was so stubborn despite being blatantly pushed away. Maybe if Ein-san had shown signs that she disliked her, and genuinely didn't want to talk to her, she might have given up. Every time they'd talked, though, the silver-haired girl had seemed welcoming. A little hesitant maybe, and a little nervous, but it had felt like she'd enjoyed those scant few moments. Besides that, there seemed to be something more to the cold front that the girl showed to the world, something that felt a little lonely.

"Is everything all right, Hayate?" Signum asked, and the girl brought her head out of the clouds.

"It's fine, it's fine," she answered cheerfully. Maybe her troubles were really nothing, and it was just her ego seeing things that weren't really there. "You know, you didn't have to come with me, I'm just going to the library."

"Shamal had asked me to get some things from the grocery store, so it was convenient."

Hayate giggled a little; the excuse seemed likely, at the very least. They continued on in a pleasant silence, neither having more to say. The trip was short and uneventful, and one that the middle schooler was well-acquainted with. When they arrived at the library, the two parted ways, Signum having a few more blocks to travel.

"See you at home then," Hayate said, giving a slight wave.

"Don't stay out too long," the older woman advised, and headed on her way. With that, Hayate entered the library through the automatic doors, immediately heading for the fiction section. It would be nice if life could be more like a story, where she could just continue on knowing that every problem would be resolved in the end. Things were never that easy though, and she supposed that was part of the whole allure to books, the escape to simplicity.

She searched through her favourite authors first, but moved on to skimming through the shelves when nothing new was found. Occasionally she'd spot a cover or a title that drew her interest, and stopped to read the descriptions. It was in the middle of one such inspection, about ten minutes after she'd arrived, that a voice called to her in greeting.

"Hayate-chan!" came the pleasant tone of a young girl. Looking up from the book in her hand, Hayate broke out a smile as she saw the person addressing her.

"Tsukimura-san!" she answered back, greeting the purple-haired girl in front of her, "I haven't seen you here in a while."

"I haven't had a chance to come here," the girl replied. To call the two friends would be generous, as they met and spoke to one another infrequently; a better description would be acquaintances with similar interests. Tsukimura Suzuka was the same age as Hayate, but attended a different middle school. She frequented the library often, nearly as much as the brunette, and as a result the two had bumped into each other on several occasions. After many coincidental meetings they started talking, and ended up getting along well, because of their mutually amicable personalities.

"I see you're still into those fantasy stories," Suzuka teased, pointing to the novel in Hayate's hand, depicting a sword-wielding knight fighting a dragon. The brunette playfully stuck her tongue out in response.

"And I imagine that you're looking for another cheesy romance novel?" she teased back in retort. The purple-haired girl huffed and haughtily turned her head away.

"There's nothing cheesy about them," she said in mock indignation. Hayate giggled, which broke the girl from her acting as she smiled. A book catching her eye, she reached up and pulled the paperback off the shelf, glancing over the back cover.

"I suppose they really aren't that different from your stories, though," Suzuka said idly, "It'd be a little much for love to always fall into place so nicely."

"Funny you say that, because I was thinking the same thing a few seconds ago," Hayate said, which the other girl raised an eyebrow to. "_Not_ about love, just problems not having such easy solutions. Although…maybe your books would help me a little more than mine. All these stories teach you are that some gallant knight will charge in every time a girl's in trouble."

Laughing lightly at the brunette's musings, Suzuka slipped the book in her hand back into its space, finding it uninteresting.

"So, is it problems with a friend?" she asked, pulling out another book.

"Not exactly a friend," Hayate answered, putting her own novel back and searching for another, "Just someone that I want to talk to."

"My, and you said this wasn't about love," Suzuka teased, noting the forlorn tone in the other girl's voice. "Unrequited crushes are so difficult."

"Mou!" the brunette huffed, her cheeks puffing slightly as she glared at her companion. "It's not like that! There's this new girl at my school…"

"Mysterious transfer student, always good for a 'love at first sight' theme," the purple-haired girl commented.

Hayate glared again, and Suzuka giggled, but started to listen to her seriously.

"I guess she is a little mysterious, though. All week she was avoiding everyone in the class, and barely said a word to anyone. I think I managed to talk to her the most, and that's only because I was pushy about it. Then she just came right out and told me to leave her alone."

"Maybe she just likes her solitude? There are some people like that, you know."

"I've thought that too," Hayate said, pausing. "But then, sometimes she looks…lonely, I guess."

"Ah, so she's a dishonest one then," Suzuka said, sounding thoughtful.

"Another of your clichéd story characters?"

"Nope, this time it's from personal experience," the purple-haired girl answered, grinning. "One of my best friends, actually. She's not very good at saying what she really feels, and ends up acting moody instead."

"So what do you do?" Hayate asked.

"Sometimes she just needs someone to listen to her, and sometimes she needs a good scolding. Once you get to know a person, you learn to read their little quirks."

"Mou, that doesn't help at all," Hayate whined, "The whole problem is that I _want_ to get to know her."

"Well…" Suzuka started, thinking earnestly, "If there's one thing I know about you, Hayate, it's that you're someone who takes things into her own hands regardless of what anyone else wants."

* * *

Reinforce had spent her afternoon aimlessly wandering around the neighbourhood, walking from street to street with no real purpose in mind. Agito had disappeared almost as soon as they had left the apartment, to wherever cats usually go, so the middle schooler had ended up being a solo tourist for several hours. She'd wandered around some stores, took a peek into a few restaurants, and generally looked for anything of interest. She couldn't really say that there was anything special about the city; in all honesty it felt fairly generic, no different than other places she'd seen. It wasn't quiet enough to be considered a small-town area, and not loud enough to be considered a city. It was quaint, with an odd sense of normality.

Her expectations hadn't really been high in the first place, but she still felt a little disappointed. Maybe she was just disillusioned with absorbing a new culture, or something. Whatever the case, she'd managed to waste her entire afternoon doing nothing at all, and it was almost six o'clock. Finally deciding to call it quits and go home, she turned a block, only to have her attention drawn to a small shop on the corner across the street, bearing "Midori-ya" written in large, bold lines.

Red eyes scanning the exterior of the store, the middle schooler felt a little curious. It looked like a fairly normal bakery and café, but somehow it seemed to stand out from the rest of the street. Maybe it was the flashy decorations, or perhaps the lack of colour from the neighbouring buildings. It looked to be empty from the outside, which wasn't that unusual, considering the time. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she quickly glanced down the street for cars, and then approached the storefront.

As she pushed the front door open, a small chime tinkled, and a woman with long, light-brown hair and a warm smile looked up from behind the till.

"Welcome," she said, and Reinforce felt vaguely uncomfortable at the sudden attention.

"Um…hi," the girl replied, wondering it would be best to leave after all.

"We were just closing up, but -" the woman started, but the silver-haired girl cut her off, bowing her head slightly as she turned in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, I'll just be going then -"

"Don't be silly! Come in, come in," the lady interrupted insistently, inviting the girl in. Reinforce hesitated, but then reluctantly stepped into the café. There was a nice aroma in the air; a blend of something like cinnamon, bread and cocoa. It gave the place a sort of homely atmosphere, like what Reinforce pictured a family kitchen to be like. Approaching some of the display cases, she peered through the glass, looking at a variety of cakes and pastries.

"Is this your first time here? I'm normally quite good at remembering faces," the woman inquired as she bustled around the circular tables, wiping them spotless.

"My family just moved here," the girl answered, bending down to have a closer look at some fruit tarts.

"Oh? Then I suppose you're our new neighbours!" the lady said gleefully, and Reinforce heard some shuffling and footsteps behind her. "Come over and have a seat."

Turning around, the girl saw the storeowner sitting at one of the tables, motioning her over, with a plate of chocolate chip cookies placed in front of her.

"I couldn't, I don't want to impose or anything…" she trailed off, but the woman beckoned more insistently.

"I insist. It's always nice to get to know new people, after all."

Reinforce could tell that "no" wouldn't be accepted, and demurely stepped forward to take a seat opposite the lady. The cookies were pushed towards her with an inviting smile, and she hesitantly took one, taking a small nibble.

"This is good!" she said, her eyes widening a little. Realizing that the comment could be taken the wrong way, she ducked her head a little in apology. "I mean…thank you, ma'am."

"My, so polite. You can call me Momoko," the storeowner said brightly.

"Momoko…san?" the girl repeated. She wasn't quite used to adding the suffixes, and it still felt a little awkward.

"So, I imagine it's hard to change schools right in the middle of a term. Are you in middle school?"

"Yes, second year. I was fourteen a month ago, in December," she answered. She didn't mind talking with adults that much. Sometimes they were curious, like Momoko was, but in the end it was really just small talk that never meant anything more than chitchat.

"Really? I have a daughter your age; maybe you've met her already?" Momoko said. Reinforce mentally winced – so much for idle small talk. "But then, I suppose her school isn't close by. Her name is Nanoha."

"I don't recognize the name," Reinforce answered, a little relieved.

"Well that's a shame. She's staying a friend's place tonight, unfortunately, or I could introduce you to her."

"Maybe another time," the girl said, though she didn't really plan on following up on that.

"But you seem like a nice girl, I'm sure you've already made plenty of friends."

The middle schooler just nodded, taking another bite from her cookie. Absently she glanced down at the watch on her wrist, and saw it was almost six. Seeing an opportunity to leave, she swallowed her mouthful quickly.

"I'm sorry, I should get going now," she stated, bowing her head apologetically. Momoko glanced at the time herself, and seemed a bit surprised.

"It is awfully late, isn't it? Here, let me box these cookies up for you," she said, and quickly got up, moving to package up the baked treats.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," Reinforce said, but a small cardboard box was already thrust towards her.

"I insist. Think of it like a housewarming present," Momoko said, beaming, and the girl awkwardly accepted the gift.

"Thank you."

"I didn't catch your name," the storeowner mentioned casually.

"It's…um…Reinforce," the student answered reluctantly.

"Well, feel free to stop by any time, Reinforce-san."

Nodding and waving goodbye, the girl slipped out of the bakery, the door chiming lightly as she left.

* * *

"I'm home!" Hayate called as she opened the front door and entered. Signum appeared in the hallway from the living room, looking like she'd been home a while ago.

"Did you have any trouble?" the older woman inquired.

"Not at all," the brunette answered cheerfully, "I just bumped into a friend, and we ended up talking for a while."

"Ah, that's good –"

"Save me Hayate!" a panicked voice cried out, and the girl barely had time to turn her head before a small, red-haired object clung on to her with a tight grip. Though surprised at first, she quickly took it in good-humour, laughing light-heartedly.

"What's the matter, Vita?" she asked, and then laughed again when the small face looked up at her with a quivering pout and watery eyes. "What's got you so scared -?"

"Is that you, Hayate?" a voice called from the kitchen, and the girl suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, "Dinner's going to be ready soon."

"Signum…" Hayate said with an accusing tone in her voice.

"…yes?" the older woman asked hesitantly.

"Is Shamal cooking?"

Signum turned her head to look away, sheepishly scratching her cheek. Hayate looked back down at the girl, who was still clinging desperately to her and looked to be on the verge of tears. She shook her head lightly, making the child's pout grow deeper.

"Sorry Vita, I don't even think I can help myself."


	5. Always a First Step

A frown on her lips, Hayate stared morosely at the window beside her, watching the heavy sheet of rain pour down from the gloomy sky. Somehow, bad weather managed to make everything else so dreary – and it didn't help that Signum had insisted on walking her into the school today.

"…What's her problem, anyway? It's not like I was asking anything personal."

"I know! She never talks to anyone."

Hayate pretended that she was still watching the school grounds as she eavesdropped on her neighbours. The group of girls were gossiping in hushed whispers, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who they were complaining about. In only a short week, the transfer student had managed to build up a negative reputation among her classmates, coming off aloof and haughty. Hayate couldn't blame anyone, really, considering that the girl had been extremely antisocial, ignoring anyone who didn't approach her, and casually brushing off anyone that did. She'd experienced that attitude plenty herself, and for all she knew, Reinforce really was just a stuck-up little girl. However, with a tight grip on her pencil and irritated scowl on her lips, the brunette clearly didn't share her classmates' opinions.

Sneaking a quick glance at the silver-haired enigma, she watched as girl scribbled away on her notepad, oblivious to the frosty atmosphere being directed towards her. No matter how hard Hayate tried, she just couldn't bring herself to believe that the girl really meant any ill-will. How she was so certain of that? She had no idea, since she barely knew anything about the transfer student. There was just something about her new classmate that made Hayate want to learn more about her, ever since they'd first met a week ago…

The middle schooler's thoughts were scattered as desks and chairs all scraped at once, as the homeroom teacher stepped into the classroom. Straightening in attention, Hayate forced her gaze to the front of the room as the class representative called out the morning greeting.

**Moving On**

Chapter 4 – Always a First Step

"Ein-san!"

Running, Reinforce turned her head to the side, seeing the orange ball sailing through the air, aimed a few steps ahead of her. Stretching out with her right hand, she managed to snag the basketball from the air, pulling it towards her as she braced the catch with her left. Planting her feet, she saw that her blocker was several steps behind, thanks to her longer strides, and she had a clear shot at the hoop. Bending her knees slightly, she jumped, pushing forward with her hands to shoot in a smooth, high arc – but could only watch helplessly as the ball rebounded off the rim, bouncing back out of bounds.

Disappointed, Reinforce stopped to catch her breath as the other team ran to grab the ball. PE class was almost over, by her best guess, and she'd spent almost the entire period running back and forth across the court. She wasn't out of shape by any means, but wasn't athletic either. It also didn't help that she was several inches taller than most of the other girls, because then the natural assumption seemed to be that she was better in physical activities than everyone else was.

"Nice hustle, girls!" the teacher called out, and then motioned for the game to resume. The ball was quickly thrown back into play, and the silver-haired girl found herself hurrying across the court once again.

When the period had finally finished, Reinforce dragged herself to the changing room with the rest of girls. Lunch break was fortunately next, and she'd managed to work up an appetite after running back and forth across the gym. Hurrying to change back into her uniform, she was a bit surprised when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning her head, she was met with an overly perky, smiling girl who was practically bouncing on her heels, her long ponytail swaying from the motion.

"You were pretty good out there!" the girl stated enthusiastically, with a cute and squeaky voice.

"Um, I wasn't really," Reinforce answered, wincing slightly, and tried to hurry as she finished changing.

"Ever think about joining a sports club?" the classmate inquired, "I think a lot of them would be happy to have you. The basketball club is obvious, of course -"

"Sports aren't really my thing," she answered vaguely, trying to interrupt the girl's flow. Unfortunately, it didn't work to well.

"- but I think you'd do well in the volleyball club, too. Or there's the track club, since you're pretty fast. Yeah, you know, I think the track club would really suit you!"

Managing to pull on the rest of her uniform, a tad sloppily, Reinforce tried her best to brush the overly bubbly girl off without being rude.

"Um, no thanks, I'm not really interested in clubs," she said, walking out of the changing room. Her classmate was irritatingly persistent though, keeping in step right beside her.

"Don't say that!" the girl said in a playful reprimand, "I know that it's tough being new, but if you push forward with a positive attitude, you'll be having fun in no time! If you just jump right in, pretty soon you'll be surrounded with friends! Now, I know it's late in the year, but plenty of clubs are still open for members to -"

"Excuse me," Reinforce said suddenly, stopping at the first doorway that she spotted, "I have something to do…I hope you don't mind if I…"

"Oh, go ahead!" her classmate replied, beaming, "I'll wait for you back at the classroom."

"Oh….right…" the silver-haired girl mumbled. The other girl wasn't moving, and seemed keen on watching her right until she was out of sight. Reluctantly, Reinforce, opened the door and walked inside, swiftly shutting it behind her. Luckily for her, the room she'd just barged into was the library, saving her from any awkward explanations. Since it was lunchtime, the entire room was completely empty…well, almost.

"Running away from rabid fan girls already?" came a teasing voice, and the silver-haired girl squeaked in surprise, spinning on her heels to find the source. When she spotted the familiar short brown hair, knowing blue eyes and light, playful smirk, Reinforce wasn't sure if she was relieved or even more apprehensive.

"Um…hi," she said awkwardly, trying to regain her composure, "I was just -"

"Hiding from Rena-chan?" Hayate finished, seeming amused. Seated at a table, she was halfway through a rather thick novel, and looked fairly settled in, with an unopened boxed-lunch on the tabletop beside her. "She can be a little enthusiastic when she gets her mind set on something."

"I…suppose," Reinforce answered, "What are you doing here?"

"Reading a book," the brunette answered, stating the obvious, but went on to elaborate. "I'm excused from PE, so I usually come here."

"Oh, right," the transfer student answered lamely. When she thought about, the girl had always been absent from the class, but she hadn't paid much attention to it. "Well…I should probably go -"

"The library's quite empty during lunch," the brunette cut in, "If you don't mind putting up with me, of course."

"I wasn't…" the transfer student started, but trailed off as the other girl gave her a knowing smile, "I suppose I could…um...take a look around."

"I recommend the fantasy section, we have an excellent selection," Hayate supplied knowledgably, seeming much perkier.

"Right…thank you," Reinforce mumbled, and awkwardly walked toward the nearest bookshelf. The girl in the wheelchair seemed content with that, delving into her novel once again.

Walking through the aisle, the silver-haired girl browsed through the shelves, the books barely getting a glance as her mind was elsewhere. What was she even doing, staying here? After all, she was the one who had told the other girl to stop trying to get close to her. It was the same thing she'd always done, the same promise she'd always made to herself. Yet here she was, edging closer to the very rules that she'd made. Maybe it was that old photo album that she'd stumbled across on the weekend. It had certainly brought up some memories – not that they were unwelcome, just that they were an unneeded reminder.

"Find anything?" her classmate's asked, her voice floating through the room.

Stopping her wandering, Reinforce glanced at the closest book to her, noting that she'd gone through a number of shelves without a single title even registering. She wasn't even sure what section she'd drifted into.

"Maybe," she said ambiguously, not wanting to be impolite with silence. Pulling a book randomly off the shelves, the best she could tell was that it was a classic Japanese novel. It seemed vaguely interesting, but not enough for her to read through it.

"Well, I'm sure there's at least one book. I don't think anything here will be too hard to read – if it's you, of course."

Reinforce felt a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as she remembered her slip-up from the previous week. She was glad that other girl wasn't in sight, especially since Hayate seemed to enjoy making her flustered. She was already starting to regret staying in the library.

"Speaking of that, how did you get so good at Japanese?" the girl asked, still calling out from her table. The transfer student wasn't sure how to answer that question, and wasn't entirely sure that she wanted too, either. It wasn't very easy to answer, and would inevitably lead to more questions that she didn't want asked. Rather than step out of her comfort zone, she chose to remain silent, resuming her wandering of the shelves.

"Are you there?" Hayate called out again, her voice more tentative. Sighing lightly, Reinforce slowly walked out from the aisle and took a look at her classmate, who seemed much more insecure than she had a few minutes ago, fidgeting where she sat in her wheelchair.

"I…" the silver-haired girl started, hesitating a little when the other girl looked on hopefully, "I should probably go now. Thank you."

Slowly walking away, she neared the doorway, reaching out to grab the door handle when Hayate spoke softly.

"Could you at least tell me…why?"

Turning her head, Reinforce hesitated for a brief moment. The question was vague, but she understood the meaning behind it, and once again was at loss, unsure how to respond.

"I mean, it's just that…well…" the brunette uncharacteristically struggled with her words, perhaps trying to describe her curiosity to herself as well. "You just seem…lonely."

As she settled for the simple explanation, she gave an imploring look, her expression showing her desire for answers much more than her words had. Looking away, the silver-haired girl looked down at her hand resting on the doorknob.

"It's just…easier this way," she murmured, not looking up. "In a few months, maybe a year, I'll be leaving again, and this way there doesn't have to be any goodbyes. A month ago, I was in America, a year before that was Portugal, before that was Russia, and -"

"Really?!" Hayate cut in, her voice full of energy. Reinforce finally moved her eyes back up, surprised at the reaction, and saw the brunette practically jumping in her seat, her face filled with delight and wonder. The silver-haired girl was taken aback, never imagining the girl could be so ecstatic.

"You've really been to all those – what's Europe li - I mean, have you been to any other – but I mean, that's – and have you seen –" her classmate was tripping over her words, unable to contain her excitement.

Reinforce realized that she had begun smiling as well: the girl's bubbly stammering was completely infectious. It suddenly occurred to her, that every time she was around this girl, it somehow always managed to turn out like this. Despite her best efforts, Hayate always seemed to make her lower her guard.


End file.
